Our Firm

EDR is a woman owned small business doing business since 1979 from our offices located in Upstate New York. The EDR team is a diverse staff of professionals including landscape architects, civil engineers, environmental regulatory specialists, ecologists, community planners, cultural resource professionals, graphic communication and mapping specialists.

Our firm values are rooted in the history of our company. Our founder’s resource-based approach, and philosophy of seeking balance with nature are the sustainable principles we strive for and continue to provide the foundation for our growing and maturing practice. A continuing strong work ethic and dedication to sustainability is evident today in the motivated staff and management of the present firm. Now spanning a broad range of practice disciplines, these founding principles are applied to benefit our clients now and into the future.

Our Services

Landscape Architecture

At EDR, landscape architecture is the art and science of analysis, planning, design, management, preservation and rehabilitation of the land.

EDR is an award-winning land planning and design firm. Our principals and staff of registered and LEED® -certified landscape architects and designers have decades of professional experience creating and implementing projects that integrate natural and cultural resources.

EDR has been “green” long before the term crept into our everyday vocabulary. As dedicated practitioners of sustainable design, EDR considers the natural systems of a site a guiding principal for planning and development. Planning and design specialties include: parks and greenways, commercial developments, private estates, streetscapes, waterfront development, bikeways, athletic facilities, art in the landscape, monuments, interpretive signage, historic landscapes, ecological site restorations, sustainable campus landscapes, and urban farms.

Civil Engineering

The vast majority of land development and site improvement projects are dependent on highly-skilled civil and water resources engineers who can assist owners with addressing the stringent demands and requirements regulatory agencies place on them with regards to storm water mitigation, flood protection, and water quality preservation.

What differentiates EDR civil engineers is they are members of an integrated team of landscape architects, ecologists, and community planners, who consistently demonstrate stewardship to the aesthetic, cultural and natural environment.

Environmental Permitting & Ecological Resource Management

Successful compliance with federal, state and local environmental regulations and documentation requirements is a process that requires navigation with expert understanding, strategic approaches and creative solutions.

We assist our clients in identifying specific regulatory responsibilities and provide technical knowledge and experience required to successfully navigate through State and Federal permit processes. We have an established positive reputation with relevant agencies. We often assist clients in formal and informal negotiations on permit terms, monitoring requirements, and identifying mitigation obligations. We know how to balance the technical, scheduling and financial needs of our clients to achieve effective and efficient solutions that address environmental regulatory compliance and resource management issues.

Community Planning

Planning for the future of a community requires an appreciation of the past, an understanding of the present, and a vision for the future.

EDR planners possess the flexibility and creativity to progress clients through the process of discovering and celebrating the character of their community, and then prioritizing and protecting those unique assets. We have the understanding to engage stakeholder participation and maintain their enthusiasm, the knowledge to define and detail the components of a sustainable plan, and the skill set to work with communities to devise strategies and policies needed to implement their preferred vision and achieve comprehensive, realistic, and actionable solutions.

At EDR, a Certified Planner/Municipal Attorney is supported by a staff of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialists, landscape architects, civil and agricultural engineers; and cultural resources, environmental regulatory compliance and visualization professionals. And, because many of our staff serve as officers and members of their own community planning boards and review organizations, they offer a unique perspective. Specialty areas include: public participation and outreach, inter-municipal comprehensive planning, Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP), Brownfield Opportunity Area Program (BOA), grant writing, New Urbanism principles (Smart Growth), and Form-Based Zoning Code.

Cultural Resources

The primary goal of cultural resource management is to identify, evaluate, and mitigate impacts to archeological sites and historic structures, and to ensure that the potential effect of a proposed undertaking on significant cultural resources is taken into account during project development and review.

EDR provides strategic regulatory compliance services to guide our public and private sector clients through the requirements of National, State and Local historic preservation laws. We are members of the American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA) and are well-versed in cultural resource regulations such as: Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Section 14.09 of the New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation Law, and the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).

Visual Impact Assessment

Visualization techniques create images that communicate a message. The ability to see a project before it is built is an invaluable tool to be used during the planning, design and approval phases of any development endeavor.

EDR visualization products provide the foundation upon which design intent can be effectively portrayed to the public. We also provide qualitative and quantitative assessment of the potential impacts a project may have on a local landscape. To do this, we offer a broad range of cost-effective visualization, graphic design, and visual impact analysis services including inventory of aesthetic resources, viewshed analysis, photo simulations, animations, and visual impact analysis.

Consequently, EDR has also developed a specialized niche providing environmental regulatory compliance services to the renewable and traditional energy industry. This consists of all aspects of impact analysis including visual assessment.

Our People

EDR principals and staff include landscape architects, civil engineers, regulatory compliance specialists, ecologists, community planners, cultural resource professionals, and graphic communication and mapping specialists that uniquely come together as a multi-disciplinary team to address client needs while demonstrating stewardship to the aesthetic, cultural and the natural environment.

A New York State Certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE)
A New York State Department of Transportation Certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)
A Certified Small Business Administration Small Business and Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB and EDWOSB)

EDR also holds a local WBE certification for Erie and Albany Counties, and the Cities of Syracuse and Buffalo. edr is also registered on the Central Contractor Registration (CCR), Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and New York State Department of Transportation Consultant Selection System (CSSWeb).

Licenses and Registrations

Our staff holds professional licenses and certifications, possess advanced degrees in their respective professions, and continuously improve upon their professional development through training and continuing education. Our registered landscape architects hold professional licenses in New York, Connecticut, Ohio and/or Pennsylvania and include a LEED certified professional.

Our Professional Engineers are licensed in New York and our engineering staff holds technical certifications as Certified Professional Erosion and Sediment Control and Certified Professional Water Quality Specialists.

Our environmental biologists and scientists include certified wildlife biologists and hold specialized technical training certifications as New York State Qualified Inspector for erosion and sediment control and Institute for Wetland & Environmental Education & Research (IWEER) Certified Wetland Delineators. Our staff also includes a Registered Professional Archeologist and Certified Planners.

Our professional memberships and certifications include:

American Planning Association
American Institute of Certified Planners
American Society of Landscape Architects
Society of Wetland Scientists
U.S. Green Building Council
American Wind Energy Association
New York State Wetlands Forum
The Wildlife Society
Autodesk Certification for Industry Professionals
Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control
Certified Professional in Stormwater Quality
National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technology

Awards

EDR has received more than 30 national, regional and local awards and recognitions for planning and design excellence ... testaments to our clients how landscape architects, planners, and environmental services specialists can creatively contribute to improving and preserving the natural and built environment. Please contact us for a comprehensive list of our noted accomplishments.

Career Opportunities

Come build a career with us!

EDR is continuously searching for talented and motivated professionals to join our team. To that end, we offer a variety of challenging projects to work on, and an invigorating environment to work within. Please submit your letter of interest and resume to: Human Resources – EDR, 217 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Environmental Analyst

EDR seeks versatile, team oriented candidates to join our Environmental Services Group. The qualified Environmental Analyst will have at least 2 years experience in environmental review, impact analysis, and permitting with strong writing skills and an understanding of various permitting regulations and requirements, such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), Article VII and Article 10 of the New York Public Service Law, and state and federal wetland regulations. Strong GIS skills also required, including an ability to understand and prepare drawings, maps, figures, tables, and other products using GIS. Requires a minimum BS degree in environmental science, natural resources, biology, ecology, or related field. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume and references to syr@edrdpc.com or 217 Montgomery Street, Suite 1000, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Field Ecologist

EDR seeks versatile, team oriented candidates to join our Environmental Services Group. The qualified Field Ecologist will have at least 2 years experience in wetland/stream delineations and other natural resource-based fieldwork such as wildlife surveys, rare plant surveys, and general ecological surveys. The successful candidate must be comfortable outside in all weather conditions and capable of carrying typical field equipment, have an ability to identify the common plant species found throughout New York State, and also have experience with GPS, GIS and office-based data processing and report writing. Requires a minimum BS degree in environmental science, natural resources, biology, ecology, or related field. Interested candidates should submit resume, references to syr@edrdpc.com or 217 Montgomery Street, Suite 1000, Syracuse, NY 13202.